


comme des enfants

by praetoring



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bittersweet, Love Triangles, Marinette-centric, Post-Gorizilla
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 02:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14149623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/praetoring/pseuds/praetoring
Summary: “Have you ever been in love, Marinette?” The question caught her off guard. The earnest look in his eyes froze her in place.—Or, a simple walk and a simple truth. She loves him, but he loves her more, and the irony of it all hurts.





	comme des enfants

“ _il m’aime encore, et moi je t’aime un peu plus fort_ ”

 

* * *

 

“Oh My Lady, it’s a lovely night out, wouldn’t you like to go on a date?” Her silly kitty flirts as always, with a dramatic gesture and a coquettish grin.

“Silly kitty, we’re busy tonight. We don’t have time for a date.” She taps him on the nose and pushes him away, before swinging across the Paris skyline, her silly kitty following her as always.

It’s always this routine. Her silly kitty will flirt, and she will always tease (never flirt) right back. They are a team, and perfect pair, and what they have right now is good. It is a friendly relationship and it is fun, but ultimately is is a relationship anchored to their work as superheroes. And she must be professional about it.

That’s not to say she doesn’t care about him. He has his sweet moments, he is loyal: to her and to the cause, and he cares. She can say for certain that she loves her silly kitty.

But she is not in love with him.

Not the way he is in love with her.

 

* * *

 

“Listen girl, you’ve got this!” Alya has her by the shoulders, a fire burning in her eyes. “His schedule’s free, I’ve got Nino, and the other girls have promised to run interference should any interruptions show up.” Interruptions being code word for Chloé.

“I know, I know! I just…” Mairnette trails off. She knows it’s the perfect time, and really, there’s no reason to back out. But the nerves are still there. Butterflies dancing around her stomach, like little akuma threatening to escape. It’s been a few weeks since the Gorizilla incident, when she made such a fool of herself in her pjs. No one would remember her, right?

Oh gosh she hoped not!

By now, most of the (oh so gorgeous) advertisements featuring Adrien had been cycled out, in favour of a new brand, so perhaps they could have a quiet day. Just the two of them.

Her stomach fluttered at the thought, a light feeling washing over her.

“You good girl?” Alya asked, smiling at her. Marinette could only nod in response both terribly scared and excited at the prospect of an afternoon with Adrien.

Alya smirked.

 

* * *

 

“Well, I didn’t expect them to take off so quick,” Adrien laughed, lowering his waving hand to scratch the back of his neck. Marinette found herself staring up at him in a daze. He was just so… lovely. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched. Had he gotten taller?

“Well, wanna continue?” he offered, pulling her out of her admiring. “I had planned to spend the day with my friends, and I don’t see why we should stop now just because those two took off.”

“Wha- what. Friends yes - I we, friends date- day! Yes!” Ugh what a mess she was! Pausing a beat to collect her thoughts, Marinette tried again, “I’m here and we’re friends so continue on! As friends!”

She could feel the blush forming on her cheeks and tips of her ears, but hearing Adrien laugh, and seeing his face light up with joy, her face flushed. That didn’t stop her tentative smile.

Okay so, it wasn’t quite the date she had wanted, but it was the two of them, walking along the Seine, just spending time with one another.

As friends.  

“I hope you don’t mind hanging out with me, that is,” Marinette started again. “I mean last time it was us, you kinda got chased all over Paris! Oh and I was in my pj’s the whole time how embarrassing! And you didn’t get to see the rest of your mother’s movie…

“Hopefully things aren’t so crazy now? We’re not gonna be chased again?” The joke came out awkward and Marinette wanted to cringe. Ugh why did she have to ramble all the time?

Thankfully, Adrien took it in stride. “Things have calmed since then, I guess getting kidnapped by an akumatized villain, and nearly falling to your death really helps keep the public at arms length.” He chucked at the thought, with a shrug of his shoulders.

Marinette kept her gaze on him, eyebrows creasing slightly in concern. “You weren’t scared at all?” Despite the reassurance that he was fine after the whole ordeal, Marinette could still remember the moment he fell. Her heart had leapt to her throat and she had nearly seized up in panic as she watched Adrien (beautiful, lovely, wonderful Adrien) drop. The image had plagued her with nightmares for weeks.

(She was sure the same could be said for half of Paris.)

“No, no I wasn’t,” he hummed, before apeding his statement. “I mean, sure that moment when you’re just haging there, no support at all, was pretty scary. My stomach dropped!” He laughed, as if the whole memory was a funny ordeal, and not a mild traumatizing one, before sober up. “But I knew Ladybug would catch me. She, she’s amazing…” His voice softened as he trailed off.

Her heart clenched once again as Marinette looked on in awe, but this time it was accompanied by a heaviness. Suddenly, it was too cold by the Seine, and Marinette had to remind herself to take a deep breath.

Adrien’s expression had changed to one of utter softness: his high cheekbones flush a rose colour, his delicate lips ever so parted, his glassy green eyes glazed over as he stared off into the distance, seeing something she clearly could not. The soft breeze tousles his golden blond hair, artfully teasing it.

It hurt to see such a look, oh gosh it hurt so much.

“You love her.” It came out barely as a whisper, but by the surprised look Adrien shot her, she knew he had heard.

They had stopped walking, staring at one another; Adrien in the sun, the light leaving him glowing, and Marinette hidden in the shadows of a bridge.

She has suspected and hope but never dared acknowledge such a truth.

Adrien ducked his head, but it did little to hide the blush gracing his cheeks. His hands were in his back jean pockets, and his shoulders hunched, yet he radiated pure joy.

“Ya, I guess you could say that,” The smitten look he shot her when he finally looked up made her heart squeeze.

He was in love with her! He, Adrien Agreste, was in love with her!

Ladybug.

She wanted to jump for joy and bawl her eyes out. She was both elated and heartbroken, the conflicting emotions twisting around inside her until she could no longer tell which one was the stronger of the two. He loved her, but not as she wished. He loved her as Ladybug, but she could only ever offer him Marinette.

That was her tragedy.

“Have you ever been in love, Marinette?”

The question caught her off guard. The earnest look in his eyes froze her in place.

“I…” Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. How could she answer? What could she say?

‘ _I love you!_ ’ She wanted to scream at him right then and there. ‘ _I’m so in love with you Adrien Agreste!_

‘ _I love you so much, and I’m Ladybug! I’m the girl you love and I’m in love with you! I can love you back_ ’

She couldn’t though. Instead she stared off at a spot just over his shoulder, unable to look at him, and mumbled out a measly “I don’t know.”

She couldn’t look at him, missing the soft smile he gave her.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, and so overwhelming, but also terrifying at times,” he said, looking out over the Seine instead. “Sometimes I feel like my heart is going to burst, and I’m so delirious. Everything is just so bright and new and wonderful, and like I’m floating above the world. Sometimes it’s so consuming and I want to cry but I also want to laugh and scream and just live!”

The glazed look was back in his eyes, as he bit his lower lip, unable to stop his grin.

‘ _I know that feeling! I feel it for you!_ ’ Marinette wanted to cry. She finally looked up at him, and had to hold herself together then and there.

Adrien was glowing, standing in the sunlight. She thought he was beautiful before, but now she knew, there wasn’t a sight that compared to Adrien in love.

Cheeks rosy, lips slightly parted, green eyes glassy, and blond hair tousled, to see such raw, pure emotion on his face broke her heart ever so slightly.

Adrien loved Ladybug, but Marinette loved Adrien.

“Well, maybe one day you’ll be in love,” he smiled softly at her, gently taking her hand. Once more they walked on. “You know, I’m glad you’re my friends Marinette, I’m glad I have someone like you I can talk to.”

He smiles at her, and she smiles back. It hurts.

“I never did get to tell you about my father and the movie after the whole akuma incident, did I?…”

 

* * *

 

Oh where was Ladybug this evening? She was never normally late for patrol, how unlike her. Chat Noir leaned against the Eiffel Tower, waiting for his partner, unable to stop his leg from bouncing in anticipation.

His mind in only just dredging up horrible what-if scenarios when a familiar yo-yo swings into view.

“My Lady there you are, I was getting worried about you! I feared something tragic might have happened!”

“I’m sorry I’m late Chat, I’m just tired right now,” she tries to reassure him, but her voice is soft, laking her usual spunk. “I just have a lot going on at the moment.”

“Of course My Lady! I completely understand,” and he does get it, but he doesn’t stop there, “Now if there’s anything I could do for you to help, I--”

“Not tonight Chat.” Ladybug cuts him off, her tone flat. “Let’s just patrol.”

As quickly as she arrived, she takes off into the night once more, not looking back.

“Of course My Lady, anything for you.”

She misses the rosy cheeks, slightly parted lips, glassy green eyes, and wind-tousled blond hair, as Chat Noir gazes on in love.

 

* * *

 

“ _et malgré ça il, m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort_

_mais il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by comme des enfants by cœur de pirate.
> 
> this song is such an ml song and it always gives me unrequited love square feels. thus this drabble was inspired by the song. the story itself doesn't necessarily follow canon, but kinda mucks around with it, taking place roughly a few weeks after gorizilla.
> 
> idk I was in the mood for bittersweet adrienette.
> 
> enjoy~


End file.
